Statement made on 02 June 2009 by Senator Jerahmiel Grafstein (retired)
Senator Grafstein:
Welcome, Ms. Simon. We are absolutely delighted that you are here. This is an historic occasion. We are all privileged to be here and to have the opportunity to listen to you from your perspective.
I was very taken by your list of basic issues: health, mental health, Arctic issues, education, language training, greenhouse gases, universities, university students. It is a pretty vanilla, plain and simple set of basic requirements for any society. We welcome the fact that you have put them down on the table. I also welcome the fact that you have asked for a report card, which I think is appropriate.
We have been here a long time. We have heard many good statements from governments on all sides, yet very little progress has been made on these fundamental issues. I have been here longer than most. I welcome again the fresh energy that you have put into this agenda.
It is a rather sad statement about how little progress we have made on some of these fundamental issues. I would like to commend Senator Watt and Senator Adams, who introduced me about a decade ago to the topic of the sorry state of clean drinking water in Aboriginal communities, particularly in the North.
As you know, a bill has been before this Senate now for almost a decade. I am going to give you a report. I am reporting to you that for the third time the bill about clean drinking water, which effectively focuses on providing clean drinking water to everyone across the country, including every Aboriginal community, is now at the third reading stage of debate for the third time; yet, we are still waiting to have the chair, who is here today, call that to our attention so that we can address it once again.
What is the situation with respect to drinking water in the areas where you are responsible? We did have a report several months ago indicating that at least one third of the Aboriginal communities, which included yours, were at risk. Health concerns are paramount. Could you comment on where you stand on that issue and whether or not you can persuade the Senate to move more forcefully on this bill?
By the way, it is Bill S-208, and it is before the committee chaired by Senator Angus. The chair is sitting here.
Ms. Simon: We are simple people. There are no two ways about it. We need simple things to help our communities. We are lagging behind the rest of Canada in almost every sector. Looking at the economic downturn that is happening worldwide, as a national leader my fear has been that we will be cut even more, that the investment that is required will not happen. If that happens, the gap will just get wider.
We need very basic investments in our communities. Clean drinking water is one of them. Our drinking water comes from trucks. Water is trucked in to each home, except maybe in Iqaluit, Yellowknife and Rankin. In all the other communities, such as Kuujjuaq, our water is delivered by trucks every day.
As hard as people try to keep the sanitation issue in check, sometimes it gets out of hand and we have boil water advisories in many of our communities. People get sick and then find out it is from the water. It is a very important part of addressing the basic needs that I spoke about.
If your bill is at third reading for the third time, what can I say? Clean drinking water is a basic requirement to live. In a country like Canada, which is considered to be one of the wealthiest countries in the world, our communities are lacking things like clean drinking water. To us, that is not acceptable. We are full taxpayers in this country. Inuit pay full taxes, maybe more than other Canadians because the cost of living is so high in the North; yet, our very basic needs are not met much of the time.
That is why I would plead with whomever I have to plead with to pass this piece of legislation so we can look forward to telling our people that they will have clean drinking water, aside from many other basic needs. We have mouldy houses that cause serious respiratory problems for our babies and children — and the list goes on. It does not end. It is almost mind-boggling when you think about it.
We try to take it step by step, but we need a plan. We need a strategy as to how we will address those basic needs.